Roundtable Discussions

Join your choice of over 20 roundtable discussions to find solutions to your problems. Make valuable contacts through networking as you explore the franchising issues that matter to you the most. Each session is 40 minutes long and is moderated by an industry expert, who will provide answers to your questions and direct the discussion.

Sessions are 40 minutes each and will run twice on Monday and twice on Tuesday!

Rick Chittley-Young, BDO Canada LLP and Rob Vosseler, Mitchell Abbott Group InsuranceHow can you make your retail and hospitality locations safer for both staff and patrons? Are you prepared to avoid or defend both frivolous and legitimate slip and fall lawsuits? Do you understand how to spot potential employee theft and prevent it from happening in the first place? This session will arm you with the knowledge you need to minimize risk across your franchise locations.

Brian Pereira, CIBCIf you need funding for your franchise expansion plans, it helps to have an understanding of the bank’s approach to franchise financing. How do banks screen applicants? What documentation is required? How do you establish a franchisor relationship with banking partners? Attend this roundtable to discover best practices related to building a franchise finance program.

Jania Bailey, FranNetFranchise expansion should never be undertaken without a clear picture of where you’re going and the people who can help you get there. What does the ideal franchisee for your system look like? Are you prepared to face the various stages of growth and overcome the challenges you’re likely to experience at each stage? You’ll leave this roundtable better prepared to grow your brand with the right franchisees.

Lisa Raffaele, PUNCH CanadaEveryone knows you need to be on social media to compete in today’s marketplace, but do you understand why? Do you know how to use social media as a sales tool for your franchise? How can you create social media messaging that will resonate with consumers? What are some effective ways to build relationships on social media on a budget? Join in on this roundtable session and get ideas to take your social media marketing to the next level!

Steve Buors, Reshift MediaHow can you use the power of your franchise network to win at search engine marketing? What can social media tell you about your customers and how can you use that information to increase sales? How can you use data and targeting to enable pinpoint digital ad delivery for maximum effectiveness? Get the latest digital marketing tips and tricks during this informative roundtable.

Shawn Saraga, SRS CanadaWhat incentive programs motivate franchisees to expand into new opportunities? When should you present additional opportunities to existing franchisees and how do you move an existing single store operator to an Area Developer or Master Agreement? Get in on the discussion and find out how to expand within your existing franchisee pool.

Dustin Hansen, InXpressAre you aware of the strengths and weaknesses in your current support structure? Do you have the tools to build the right corporate support that drives the right results? How do the very best franchise organizations focus on and create better franchisee performance? Share your ideas with your peers in this roundtable discussion.

Saba Tariq and Paul Hamam, Deloitte LLPRe-franchising is an excellent way to free up cash and grow your brand, but are you selling for the right reasons? We all know wanting to do something and believing the time is right are no guarantees to a successful outcome. You have to work at it. What can you do to make your business irresistible to prospective buyers? How can you communicate a value proposition that they cannot live without? Join us at this roundtable, where we’ll share seven great tips to get you well positioned to sell your business.

Joel DeGroat and Terry Hould, ServiceMaster of Canada Ltd.How do you get the conversation started and the deal closed when you have an existing franchise location that you want to re-sell? What are best practices for franchisee valuation and succession planning? How can you assist your franchisee in finding potential buyers of their existing business? Join the conversation for tips on how to create a positive exit strategy.

Christine Jackson, Osler, Hoskin, and Harcourt LLPWhat are the benefits of establishing a Franchisee Advisory Council? How should an FAC be structured, organized, and operated? How can FACs be effectively used to encourage franchisees to support, adopt, and implement system changes? This roundtable will provide franchisors with a practical how-to roadmap for establishing and maintaining a meaningful Franchisee Advisory Council.

Andrae Marrocco, Dickinson Wright LLPWith our shared culture and close geographic proximity, many Canadian franchisors look to the United States as a first step in their international expansion plans. But there are a number of factors to consider. How will your franchise agreements and other legal documents need to be updated? How will you market your franchise and recruit franchisees? How will you support your international franchisees? This roundtable will give you valuable knowledge and tools to assist your international expansion plans.

Adam Briklyn, Cornerstone Insurance BrokersAre you aware of the cyber-crimes that are being perpetrated daily in Canada, or the success that hackers and bad threat actors are achieving? Do you know the cost of cyber-crime in Canada? Do you have a plan to mitigate and ultimately prevent its impact on your organization? In this session, we’ll discuss the latest cyber losses, lessons learned, and, most importantly, the preventative measures to take against cyber-crimes.

Anya Switzer, Partner, CO-OP Advertising and Charlie Rice, Weed Man CanadaThe larger your franchise system gets, the more challenging it becomes to maintain brand standards across all of your locations. How do you ensure brand consistency in the face of rapid expansion? How do you ensure the customer experience is the same at all of your locations from coast-to-coast? Using Weed Man Canada as an example, this session will give you an understanding of how to maintain brand consistency across the country.

Simon Shahin, BUILD IT By DesignWhen building out a new location, should you contract with a single entity or with multiple entities? What are the pros and cons to each process? How do you select the right team for the project? This roundtable will walk you through the complete construction process, offering tips and best practices.

Juliette Schmerler, Sparktank Franchise MarketingYou will leave this session with a better understanding of what it takes to drive new customer sales, repeat business and build customer loyalty for your locations.

Jonathan Mesiano-Crookston, Goldman Hine LLPFranchise disclosure is a highly complex area of franchise law, with potentially significant repercussions. What are the most obvious errors in disclosure documents that lead to litigation liability? What are the most common traps in how disclosure documents are provided? Join this discussion to learn and share best practices for preparing and providing disclosure documents to minimize risk.

Jam Hashmi, ClickTecsThe way people access information is continuously changing, from the humble beginnings of the Internet to the current online landscape. Businesses need to recognize the shift from offline to online and make the necessary transitions to capitalize on this trend. Do you want to learn how to get your franchisees found on Local Search? Are you seeking a new source of franchise candidate lead generation? Learn how to make the most of digital marketing for your business in 2017!

Ryan Eickmeier, CFA and John Wissent, DagwoodsThe franchise business model is facing an increasing number of legislative and regulatory threats. What advocacy issues are the greatest concern to you as a franchisor? How have recent legislative developments impacted your franchise operations? How can you get involved in CFA’s efforts to protect franchising in Canada? Join this roundtable to find out.

Angelee Brown, Little CaesarsRemember the days of rolodexes and cold-calling? Lead generation techniques have evolved over the years and this session will offer you the chance to share what is and isn’t working. We’ll discuss new lead generation techniques that won’t break your budget, then dive into a power think-tank session to tackle some out-of-the-box ideas you can take back to your franchise system!

Joanne Capano, CFA, & Dawn Mucci, Lice SquadThere are lots of reasons leading franchisors became CFA members, what’s yours? CFA is YOUR association and every program and service can be tailored to fit your business needs. Find out how to leverage your CFA membership in this informative roundtable. Do you know who to contact for lead generation opportunities? How can you get more industry exposure and build your credibility? Or, do you want to get more involved at CFA but you don’t know who to speak with and what opportunities are available? How can you meet other franchisors in your industry? Join us and find out how CFA can help you maximize your membership and help grow your business.

Bruce Miller, Works BurgerWhat are the most common challenges facing the effective delivery of positive customer experiences across brand networks? How do you define your brand within the network so that it can be consistently represented and delivered to end users? How has the advent of rapidly changing technology impacted brands and customer experiences across networks? Get in on the discussion for ideas on how your brand can “think global, act local, and sell personal.”

Jason Agouris, iTristan Media Group Inc.Brands are going omni-channel whether we like it or not. Embrace it. Giving your customers the same delightful experience online is not only great business, it’s required. What are the first steps your brand should take to deliver a more seamless experience across channels? What are some must-haves for creating a positive online customer experience? This roundtable will offer up practical ideas for launching your brand towards omni-channel retail.

Jim Green, Environic AnalyticsIn order to expand a network effectively, a franchisor must be able to identify locations that offer a significant number of potential customers – no small task. How can you use predictive analytics to create profiles of trade areas around prospective locations to determine the viability – and potential revenue – of any site based on the types of consumers who live and work nearby? How can you calculate a location’s long-term value using analytics? What can analytics tell you about local customers’ media consumption, key motivators, life stage and lifestyle? This session will discuss the value of predictive analytics in selecting optimal sites for franchisees.

John L. Rogers, Clark Wilson LLPThe round table will discuss the duties of a franchisor under its franchise agreement, under paramount duties by franchise statutes and under applicable case law. The focus will be on statutory duties of “fair dealing in the performance and enforcement of the franchise agreement and the duty to act in good faith in accordance with reasonable commercial standards”.

Importantly, the Court of Appeal of Ontario has stated that “The purpose of the Wishart Act is to protect franchisees and the provisions of the Act are to be interpreted in that light.” The same Court has also ruled that a discretion given to a franchisor in its franchise agreement cannot be exercised in a manner that is against “the express rules as well as the spirit, letter and intent of the Act.” In the end, Courts will examine the express wording of the franchise agreement and the franchise statute, as well as the conduct of the franchisor in deciding whether the duty of “fair dealing” has been met by the franchisor.

François Alepin and Chanel Alepin, Alepin Gauthier Avocats Inc.In order to do business in Quebec, do you have to translate your trademarks and marketing materials into French? Since there is no specific franchise statute in Quebec, are franchisors bound to any rules? Are franchise concepts from outside of the province welcome in Quebec? This roundtable will explore commonly held myths about franchising in Quebec, offering facts and best practices.

Geordie Gibbon, Accessibility Directorate of OntarioGeordie Gibbon is the Manager of the Public Education and Partnerships Unit at the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario. The Public Education and Partnerships Unit is responsible for increasing awareness and understanding of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, (AODA), 2005. Through the EnAbling Change Program, the unit develops educational tools and special projects to help our province reach its goal of an accessible Ontario by 2025.

Attendees will learn:

Their accessibility compliance obligations in 2017

How to file their mandatory accessibility compliance report, due December 31, 2017

Tips and resources

Thank you to the following members who are National Sponsors and support CFA throughout the year: